Improvement in grain-harvesters



s. s. HURLBUT. GRAIN HARVESTER.

Noi 7,928.

Patentedf'ehll, 1851.

Tnx uanms Patins ou, wofnumol, wnsmmswn4 DA C.

UNITED 'STATES' PATENT GFFICE.

SIDNEY S. HURLBUT, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT-IN GRAIN-HARVESTERS.

Speciticatiom forming p art of VLetters Patent No. 7.928, dated February 4, 1851. v

To all 'whom 'it 'ma/y concern Be it known that I, SIDNEY S. HURLBUT,

-of the city and county ofltacine, and State ot Wisconsin, have invented a` new and useful improvement in thesmachine for cutting, raking, weighing, and depositing grain in sheaves, Iand known as the Wisconsin Harvesterl and Baker, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof',

l ret'erencebein g had to the accom pan yin g drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making part ofthe same.

,p Figure l is a horizontal or birds-eye View; Fig. 2, front elevation; Fig. 3, end elevation, with weigher removed; Fig. 4, rear elevation; Fig. 5, lsectional view of driving-wheel and vibratin g bar, Fig. 6, horizontal seetionat view of driving-wheel in combination with vibrating bar and pinion for propelling apron; Fig. 7, sectional view ot' weigher.

Similar letters in the several figures refer to like parts.

The frame IK., Fig. 3, containing the cutters H, side and back boards, pole and supportingw heels for supportin g the frame, are so similar to these now generally in use as to need no particular description beyond their connection with thesimproved portion ofthe machine.

As my"iinprovenien-t consists oil three separate and distinct parts, 1 will commence with a description ot that portion operating upon the cutters.;

A, Figi, is the main or driving wheel, upon whose outer face or rim are cast the circle of triangular teeth B, a short distance within the periphery or tread of the wheel, to prevent their coining in' contact with the earth while revolving, and thus to avoid clogging while acting upon the two small anti-friction rollers C C, Fig. 6, inserted into and near thcends ot' the vibrating har l). The rollers C-O play alternateiy in and ont ot' the spaces between triangular teeth 15, and thus insure a regular and uniform vibrating motion through the bar l), Fig. (i, whose axis plays upon a square box, E, Fig. 5, fitted to the main shaft F, Fig. t'. The main shaft revolves in said box and acts as a journal, Vand thus supports-tbe bar l), which is secured to the box E by two pivotpins, oncon the upper and the other on the lower side of the bar D, as represented in Fig. 5. `The har D is connected to the rod G at its front end,

` the trame) to support shaft F, Fig. 6.

J J aretwo vibrating arms,rtbe-one inserted" with ajointjntothe lowerand the other-into the upper beam ot' the fra-merli, Fig, 1handpermitted to play freely for the purposelot' sup porting the bar I) in an inclined position, and thereby insure regularity of motion tothe cntting portion ofthe machine.

L L, Fig. 3, are two uprights (one hidden by the journals of main l will now proceed to describe my im prove ment for conveying, weighing, and depositing the grain or straw as fast as cut by the reap@ ing-machine.

M, Fig. 6, represents a circle ot' teeth cast upon the inner side of the main wheel A and gearing into a spur-pinion, N, Fig. 6, of about half its diameter, upon the rear end ot' whose shaft is placed a pulley, (l, Fig. 4,' with two grooves, in which are inserted two bands or cords, one extending to the lower and the other to the upper rollers, l P, Fig. et, which pass from the rear to the i'rontot' the frame pr platform ofthe machine, l'or the purpose of propelling the revolving apron (g, Figs. 1 3, upon which are placed laterally and at short dis-' tances apart light rallies r, fastened securely to it, for the purpose ot' supporting the grain while ascending the inclined plane caused by elevating the revolving apron after it passes the Y inner end ot' the cutter, in order to place the grain in the rotating weigher and depositor.l

li It, Figs. 1 and 2, are two guards placed over the rollers S S, Fig. 2, to prevent the rakes from coming in contact with them. The rollers S are channeled to admit the ropes. The object ot' the rol-1ers S S is to hold in their proper places the two parallel endless ropes or cords with which the outer edges ol'` the revolving apron are bound at their edges.

F2, Fig. 2, is a small roller placed between the upper and lower portions of the apron toprevent them from rubbing and to give the apron the proper direction to theroller 1". This roller extends across the frame, having channels near its ends to admit the ropes attached to the sides ofthe apron.`

U, Fig. 2, is a shield of sheet-iron, extending from front to rear of platform, to preserve the revolving apron from injury. This is of the usualform and construction, and may or may not be used.

V V, Fig. 2, are two elongated staple-shaped irons, extending across theapron-frame, upon whose upper surface are tlrmly fastened t'our loops or eyes ot' iron, into which are inserted the ends ofthe two movable rods W W, Fig. l. These rods receive the grain as soon as it commences to ascend the inclined plane, and, being flexible, gently press upon the grain or straw, and thus prevent the wind from acting upon it until it arrives at the weigher and depositor.

Figs. l, 2 represent the weigher for weigh-` ,boring holes linto it, the outer or smallerI ends incli'ning upward in order to hold the grain or straw, and extending out from the shaft only so far as the diameter ot' the heads. To the under side of these teeth I secure a canvas or other light materiahin order to hold any short strawthat may be thrown into the weigher. This weigher is divided into three sections dr apartments or cells, as shown at X X X. It may be made of lightsheet-iron,as represented at Figs. 1, 2,17, orotl any suitable material and shape to answer the intended purpose. Upon the iront end of this weigherare' shown radial stops a and curved guides Y Y Y, Fig.A 2, the latter to give the weigher a proper directionas the weigher ascends. Upon the end of the catch, which is stationary, is placed asmall anti-friction roller, r intended to relieve the stop a from the catch as soon as the weigher X has received grain or straw enough to forni a sheaf and tocanse it to gravitate below the end ol'A the catch. The rotating weigher having descended until the stop a is below the roller Z', it immediately revolves one-third of its circumference, deposits the sheat', and returns to its former position on account of the weight b, Fie'. 3, preponde ating, when it is ,again arrested by the next radial stop a comingin contact with thecatch, and holds it in postion until the succeeding section or cell receives 'its proper weight ot' grain, when the wei gher again relieves itsel t' as before, and thus the apparatus becomes self-acting.

C' C' are two stationary armsone made fast to the front and the other to the rear ot' the frame K--the ends of which act as i'ulcrums i'or the levers d d, and through the upper end of which levers the journals of the weigher revolve. These levers are hung at their middle by a pin, i, passing through them and a mortise in the ends of the stationary" arms C' C'. The lower ends of these levers'.

are let into a cross-bar, e, Fig. 3, extending across the end ot' the frame, from the middle of which the forked rod f, Fig. 3, descends and is attached in a perpendicular direction to the balance-beam g, Fig. 3. vThe weigher X, with its contents, can be regulated, so as to make a sheafof any desired size orweight by simpl)yv4` sliding the weight b, Fig. 3, in or out or nearer to or farther from the fnlcruln j ot' vthe bar, as the case may require. h, Fig. 4, is a ratchet and hand to `prevent the rotating weigher from revolving backward and depositing the straw among the machinery of the reaper, placed on the opposite head from that on which the radial stops and curved guides are placed.'

Operation ot' the reaper: This machine,like rcapers with reciprocating cutters and drawn by animals, is intended to pass round a iield or lot' of grain, and gradually work'or cut to the center bypassing from the right to the left, the cuttingsideot' the machinebcing presented to the grain. Now, the operation ot' thisim proved machine is thus: As fast as the grain is cut by the reciprocating cutters it falls over upon the revolving apron parallel witlrthe rakes attached to it, and'is conveyed by said endless apron and rakes until it comes to the iiexiblc holding-rods W W, under which it is conveyed, these rods keeping it pressed upon` the apron until it arrives at the toproller of the apron, when it is emptied into the cell ot' the rotating weigher X, immediately beneath aidroller, until it receives a sufficient quantity to form the required sheaf, when the weigher sinks so far as to relieve itself from the catch Z', when the weight ot' ,the grain causes the weigher to descend and the weight b to ascend, the weigher at the samel time revolving on its axis a part ot' a circle in 'order to discharge its load, when it again ascends to its former elevation, the next succeeding section or cell X will Abe presented to receive another portion of grain suflicient to form a sheat',which, whcn'received, causes the wei ghcr again to descend and empty its sheaf, as before, and will thus continue to operate as long as the reaper continues to supply it with grain. The cause ot the weigher ascending as soon as it discharges itself is from the 'gravity of the weight b npdn the balance-.beam g, which will preponderate, and descend as soon as the sheaf is discharged; and. as soon as the wei gher commences to rise `'the segmental guides Y are brought in contact with the roller Z' on the catch Z, and gives the weigher its proper direction, and 'causes the radial stop c to come in contact with the said roller Z', and thus holds the wei gher from turning until it receives its requisite weight of grain, the operation of weighing being somewhat similar to weighing upon the modern balance.

The laction upon the cutters of this reaper is ot' a compound character, and is produced by the triangular teeth yBeast upon the ont- ,side or face of the driving-wheel, the diame-` ter of the tread of said wheel being considera.: bly greater than the circle in which the trianguiar teeth are formed, in order to prevent the teeth from 'coming in contact with the ground. The said triangular teeth act upon the two small rollers C atoresaid, one on each side ofthe diameter of the wheel, inserted in each end n* of the bar D, as above described. When one roller passes the point of a tooth on one seg.

ment of the wheel, the other is .passing the base of another tooth on the opposite side or segmentof the wheel, an'dproduces a regular and uniform motion, which is communicated 'to the cuttersfthrough the agency o fthe vi@ bratingpbar by the usual connecting-rod extending from .the front end ot' the bar to the back of the cutters, which insures an even and `smooth cut.

Having thus described my improved reapingn1aohiue,l claim- 1. Combiningwithareapingfmachine aselfacting weighing apparatus for weighing the grain into any required quantity `to form sheaves or bndles Q1 a uniform weight, as described, and depositing the same upon the ground inireadiness to `be tied, while thereaping-machine is drawn forward and cuts the grain, thesaid weighing apparatus being made adjustive,s o as to increase or'diminish the size of the bundles atpleasure; and this I claim whether the 'weighing apparatus be made and arranged as described, or in any other way 

